Are You Under Stress?

Is stress your friend?

Do you recognize your stress level?

What are your sources of stress?

Need to talk to someone on campus about stress?

Stress is the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response.

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.” Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced regardless of whether the situation was positive or negative.

Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have evolved. Stress is now viewed as a bad thing, with a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.

The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S. Lazarus) is that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” In short, it’s what we feel when we think we’ve lost control of events. 

Stress is byproduct of challenging students to learn. Approaches are needed that reduce the negative aspects of stress (distress) which lessen students' learning and performance. The key to reducing distress is providing students with a feeling of control over their education, information about what to expect, and feedback regarding what can be done to improve their performance. Students who do not feel helpless will adopt their own coping strategies

Mechanisms that explain why students perform badly under stress include "hyper-vigilance" (excessive alertness to a stressful situation resulting in panic i.e. over studying for an exam) and "premature closure" (quickly choosing a solution to end a stressful situation i.e., rushing through an exam).

Feeling stressed is a normal reaction to a situation which feels out of your control.  If you were to list causes of stress, many would be about money, related to school, and worries about coursework.

Other causes include too little money, debt, no regular income, and financial hardship, which are not things addressed here (but use the same techniques to seek help).  Under academic stress you might list: too much time spent studying, juggling commitments, “not enough hours in the day”.

Stress can be due to a wide variety of psychological and physical factors, and what is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to the next or in the same magnitude.  When under stress, the body releases higher doses of a hormone called cortisol, which helps mobilize energy sources within the body. But, for reasons scientists have yet to determine, an increased cortisol level is also associated with a decrease in the functioning of the immune system. Thus, a person who is under stress often has a lowered resistance to infectious diseases.  In combination with broken rest patterns and poor eating habits you become vulnerable to colds, etc.  Have you ever noticed how many students become ill near mid-term, or around the time of finals? Stress is a real!

There is an awful lot of pressure on students these days to succeed and do extremely well. A "stress inoculation" might inform students in advance of what difficulties they might face and encourage them to develop their own strategies to achieve personal goals. Many students are averse to asking for help.

It is a good idea to find out what help is available on campus before you become over-whelmed.  Use University resources, web searches, and friends before stress anxiety leads to lowered self-esteem.

University counselors can help you think more positively or direct you toward other resources to help.

There is a substantial amount of help available when people start to suffer from stress.  The thing to do is to ask for help. Talking to someone – a friend, family member, tutor, faculty member or professional counselor – is the key to handling most problems.  It sounds trite, but it is also true, that a problem shared is at least a problem reduced.

It's all too easy to skip a workout or pull an all-nighter to finish your work, but it's more important than ever to take care of yourself when you're under stress. When you're feeling stressed the immune system functions less effectively and you're more likely to get sick. You know how far behind you fall when you get sick! It's difficult, but essential that you maintain a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and plenty of sleep to be able to function at your best and get rid of the mid-semester blues. Discussing what causes stress is one way to eliminate stress. Stress can be reduced by getting plenty of sleep, eating well, and exercise.

Here are a few signs of stress:

To contact the Counseling Center Services office please call us at 443.885.3130 to schedule an appointment or click here.